Women and men united to end violence against women and girls is the International Women’s Day March 08, 2009 theme of the United Nations. It is an ambitious and hopeful theme. However, ff seriously put into action, it has the power to disrupt the present violently oppressive status quo in many societies across the world.  I welcome the disruption.

Yesterday, I attended a worship service put on by a church related women’s organization. Their theme for IWD was Women Of Courage. Given the increasing incidences of violence against women and girls in this country, women of the church (who are not exempt from being viciously beaten) do need a lot of courage.

The woman who preached the day’s message encouraged women to regain their courage. Women should know their value, strengthen their faith, and recover their determination. She used as her focus Hebrews 10:38-39 & Genesis 3:15.

When she started with the Genesis passage, I grew very tense. That’s my usual mode when I hear preachers from a conservative background tackle the story of Eve and Adam in the mythical Garden of Eden. I am yet to hear any woman from her conservative church background preach anything liberating for women from Genesis 1-3.

Therefore, I schooled my features as I know my members are very keen on watching my reaction to any teaching/preaching that suggest that women be passive under oppression. I was pleasantly surprised. Not blown away now mind you. But pleased she did not forever damn Eve and all her daughters. Of course she ignored the inherent difficulties in the text but that aside she did a great job at encouraging women to action.

It was to call women to regain their courage to choose and to make the best decisions they can. Sometimes those decisions are disobedient ones, made with the best intentions such as to provide for your family. When such moments occur, women should never begin to devalue themselves because God has not devalued us. Her encouragement was not suggesting that God condones wrong. Her point was that where society so easily write people off for making mistakes – God never gives up on us.

She went on about how the offspring of Eve will bash the enemy’s head. I confess it does sound like fighting violence with violence. We hardly need more of that in an already violent world. Especially, when most of that violence is directed against the weak and powerless like women and girls (children on a whole). Once again, though she was encouraging women to affirm their victory over their enemies and challenges in their lives even when it looks like you are losing the battle. So she was not advocating literal violence.

But one woman commented afterward, that she used to take a battering from her husband. One day she got fed up of the beatings, and fed up with herself for taking it. She got the courage and hit him right back. When she saw his surprise, she got closer to him and said, and if you hit me again I’m going to break your hands. He never hit her again. She divorced him shortly after that incident she said. Now I wonder how many women really feel like that – tired of being told not to go the route of violence.

Every woman knows her circumstances and what she can put up with. Some never live to respond like Jennifer Lopez  in the movie Enough. They were killed or murdered in a violent relationship. And some women who suffer are too afraid to do anything about their situation. It is for ALL women that the call comes today – get the courage to make a change. Regain or develop the courage to do something about ending the violence not only for yourself but for other women and girls as well.

For the preacher, Eve’s offsprings were both daughters and sons and the promise for the son is the promise for the daughter. I’ll suspend my ‘trained’ Biblical exegesis for a while and go ‘Hooray’!! Yes. Women its about time we exhibit the courage that this promise gives us. We have the strength to crush the head of the adversary who continue to deceive men (and even other women) to perpetuate violence against women and girls.

Historically, and still in too many places today the daughters of Eve are treated like the enemy. It is our heads that continue to be bashed in, battered, and traumatized by Eve’s male offsprings. So when will men – who stand to benefit from the institution and practice of violence join with women to to bring about its end?

Like the sister said – We are not of those who shrink back (Heb 10:39a ) So let’s have the courage to keep the faith. Stand on the promise that the faithful will be rewarded and even though some perish along the way, there are signs that the present order of things is changing.

Blessings of Grace and Peace to all my sisters across the world – Take heart and be courageous the Divine is on your side.

Marvia

The Decade to Overcome Violence:Churches Seeking Reconciliation And Peace simply called DOV is an initiative of the World Council of Churches (WCC). The decade long observance began in 2001 and will culminate in 2010. Each year the DOV focuses on a particular region. In 2009 global ecumenical eyes will turn on the Caribbean.

The Caribbean theme for 2009 is One Love: Building A Peaceful Caribbean. I recently attended a gathering of religious leaders in Panama City, Panama from various Christian Councils across the Caribbean region and Europe where I witnessed the launch of the 2009 campaign. I continue to pray that the exciting plans shared might be successfully implemented.

The Caribbean religious leaders at the launch made it clear that they wanted the world to know that the Caribbean is more than ‘sun, sea and sand’. I’ll add to that, the region is more than a string of all-inclusive resorts. There are real people with real issues and a history of violence that has for too long been suppressed for the sake of tourism and investment.

The DOV’s Caribbean focus aims to strengthen and resource churches and movements working for peace in the region, and deepen the churches’ understanding of the violence involved in issues such as migration, human trafficking, food security, HIV and AIDS, drugs abuse and trafficking, amongst others.

DOV’s Annual Focus Schedule
2001:Launch of the Decade to Overcome Violence
2002: Palestine / Israel
2003: Sudan
2004: USA
2005: Asia
2006: Latin America
2007: Europe
2008: Pacific Islands
2009: The Caribbean
2010: Africa- Closing of the Decade to Overcome Violence

After the DOV ends in 2010, a special convocation, the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) will take place May 2011 in Kingston, Jamaica. I am as pleased as punch that Jamaica is the chosen location for this event.

In the newsletter “Bits and Pieces” Nan Braunschweiger the coordinator of the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) had this to say:-

I am particularly pleased that the convocation will take place in Kingston, one of the seven cities in which the Peace to the City Campaign was grounded in the late 1990s, at the time sowing the seeds of an ecumenical peace movement. Additionally, with the DOV annual focus highlighting the Caribbean in 2009, we truly hope the convocation will be a poignant, enriching and significant event for all concerned but especially for the region.

Keep abreast of what is happening with the DOV by signing up for the newsletter Bits and Pieces at the official website Overcoming Violence.

Connect with your sisters and brothers in the Caribbean at the website of the Caribbean Conference of Churches (CCC).

And more than anything else keep the region in your prayers for 2009 and find ways to establish and deepen your mission partnerships in the region for 2009 and beyond.

Peace,
Marvia

I’m wondering whether pastors are feeling that their constitutional (and even divine rights) are being violated by the Guide from the IRS which has been regulating church’s political involvement since 1954. Some pastors are saying it’s time to throw out that law. They want their freedom to choose political sides.

But what of the congregation? What impact does this have on a congregation that is made up of some Republicans, Democrats, Independents and “Uninteresteds”?  I have my views on that issue.

Read more… When Pastors Politics and Tax Status Do Not Mix

Peace,
Marvia

Clergy Competition is like a rabid disease, and threatening to become a pandemic. This rivalry among clergy members is gaining ground especially among those who follow the images of popular clergy figures in the media. It would be hilarious, this jostling for position and status, if it wasn’t having such a destructive impact on the church.

Gotta Get Me A Title
Clergy being called ‘doctor’ is big these days. Pastors are chasing titles to be ‘in’. Of course, there is the matter of ‘pedigree’ as to which brand name institution you receive your degree. Wearing letters behind your name is IT. It hardly matters that there is little evidence of even greater scholarship, and serious engagement of social and moral issues in a multi-disciplined world. Please change that church sign, and the bulletins, and the sign on my door. Don’t you people know that I am a ‘doctor’?

And A Bigger Church
Mega-churches are happening. Come on God, Super-Size my church too. Numbers is the name of the game. Small congregations and pastors of small congregations are being sucked into a web of discontent. There is envy and pride because of the measure used for ‘success’. It is not competition to reach the unchurched, but misleading people to ‘steal sheep‘ and grow church by any means necessary. So what will be my salary when the church gets bigger?

And Some More Ministries
But who gives a hoot? Really. Some churches are filled with ministries and very few genuine servants in Christ. Busy, busy, busy. They are doing it – we want to have that over here too. Who cares if it suits our context. We will not be outdone by them. So come on let’s get busy here. So who is this supposed to reach again? Why isn’t anybody interested?

And More Popularity
So you’ve got to go write a book, make some DVDs, pull out some show-stopping broadcasts. You need a website and a PR person. If he or she can be seen, you gotta get yourself a huge Billboard in your city too. No matter the absence of a coherent thought process – the prophets perform for the media and compete for air-time. And who gets the glory?

And Bling Accessories
You’re a doctor with a big church. You have lots of ministries to supervise. Your PR people need to be in touch with you. You have speaking engagements to do, book signings, webinars and podcasts. What’s the brand on that gizmo? Come on Trustees and Elders get real. You’ve got to pimp my ride, PDA, Laptop, Condo, private jet, and all my multi-media stuff. Don’t you know I gotta look good!

So Am I Winning Yet?
Caught in the cross-currents of the images and voices of success, as defined by the world, clergy gets caught in the mess of competition. We try to outdo each other to prove that we are more successful. We justify our actions by saying Jesus would approve our success. But would he?

Judging from Jesus’ response to the request of James and John when they came seeking choice positions in the Kingdom, we can well imagine that Jesus would find distasteful the levels to which ministers of the Gospel have sold out to the worldliness that breeds clergy competitiveness. [See Matthew 20:20-28; Mark 10:35-45]

Want to win? Try faithful humble service. Rabid competition that seeks to build personal kingdoms and not the Kingdom of God is inconsistent with Jesus life and ministry. It is Jesus we follow, not worldly trends.

Watch out,
Marvia

“Stealing sheep” or “sheep stealing” refers to the practice of a leader and or congregation taking away the members of another congregation. This is a distasteful practice that leaders and congregations should discourage.

Sheep stealing is not the same thing as a common change of membership. It usually has a dark side. Whenever there is a steady flow or trickle of members leaving a congregation to join another, usually newer church in the neighborhood there is something or someone behind it.

Taking away the members of another congregation can be ‘cultish’, counterproductive, and dreadfully misleading. Encouragement of ‘cultish’ behaviour is to be avoided.. In this case, members leave on congregation to attend another pulled by the personality of the new congregation or the old congregation with a new leader. Pastors should discourage this. It takes humility and maturity to tell someone to move in response to God’s action, not because of a personality.

It is counterproductive when churches are distracted by rivalry, while millions of persons miss hearing the Gospel. The body of Christ is not built up when Christians are playing “musical chairs” with church membership.

The practice of stealing members from one congregation to increase the numbers in another is misleading as it relates to statistical claims on global church growth. Except in countries where the church is growing as a result of persons leaving from one religion to Christianity, figures in Global Christianity are not altogether accurate.

Although not in all instances, I am aware of some statistics that gives the impression that Christianity is booming in some countries when it is in fact not so. The real situation reflects that Christians are merely switching membership. So one church grows at the expense of another church.

Take the sweep of “charismatic” churches as an example. While churches so labeled are bursting at the seams in some countries, their increase in membership is in line with a similar decrease in the “mainline” or older congregations. The growth of one is at the expense of another, while the un-churched remain untouched by the message. The exception as I said earlier, is in those countries where there is a switch from another religion to become Christian.

Church leaders and their congregations need to stop this practice of taking away the members of one congregation to fill their pews. It is laziness of the worst sort. There are many persons who need to hear the word. They are far from impressed by our rivalry and the spreading of conflicting messages.

Churches and leaders that are engaged in this practice of stealing members might see numerical growth, but not growth in God’s grace.

Do you know what fuels the numerical growth or loss in the membership of your church? Please share your experience with us by leaving a comment below.

Peace,
Marvia

The Church is scattered across the web every day, and in almost every part of the world. The scattered church is opposite to the gathered church. There’s nothing complex going on here.

When Christian believers meet for occasions of worship and fellowship this is what is meant by the church gathered. When these meetings are dispersed, then we are ‘scattered’ into the world to live out our calling in and for the world.

The church, represented as the community of believers everywhere is therefore present (though never entirely so) in all places that Christians are to be found. Millions of Christians can be found on the web, as cyber residents living in, and creating alternative virtual worlds.

Thus the church is also scattered across the web. The church offline has still not fully grasped the implications of this reality. Hopefully, when we come awake we will see the need to do a different and better job of being church in the the world in general, and in cyberspace in particular. Furthermore, in being the church on the web we must do a better job of being the church than we have been doing off the internet.

Here are 10 Tips that should help us in carrying out this task in developing and maintaining the presence of the church on the Internet. The list is hardly original. They are more like reminders, and my own experiences that I am sharing with you.

1. Remember who you are. The web offers a kind of anonymity that gives persons the freedom to become what they secretly desire to be. Is who you are, or are becoming, on the internet consistent with your offline identity. And does it reflect a more Christlike person?

2. Be smart not stupid about giving out personal and sensitive information. Yes, the Bible does says, ‘Thou shall not lie.” Please don’t take that to mean that you are to dumb and divulge all your personal details to strangers. And by the way, don’t feel that people should trust you with their details just because you tell them you are a Christian.

3. Be honest in your dealings especially in dating and conducting business. These are two areas where many Christians hope to find greater success online than they have offline. Ethical considerations should never be thrown out the window to ‘get what you want’. Pretending to be someone or something else is dishonest offline and equally so online.

4. Clarify your motives for being where you are. Is this place wholesome? What is your agenda for being where you are? If this isn’t the kind of neighbourhood you’d be hanging out in real life, then what am are you doing there? Research huh?

5. Be genuine towards others. Too many fakes are offline. Even in church we are sometimes nothing more than superficial ‘friends’. The web, and especially “Social Networks” offers the perfect setting to create alternative identities and superficial ‘friendships’ and “communities” very often lacking in depth.

If you don’t want to be known as a fake in the offline world, why should you strive to be considered as such online? Genuine people prefer dealing with other genuine people. Cut the act, and be real.

6. Be mindful of the impact of your actions. Be aware that you are influencing persons on the Internet just as you do in offline world. Watch how you are affecting the lives of others especially the young and otherwise vulnerable. Consider that you are, and determine whether your impact has been negative or positive.

7. Live and share your faith in humility and love. Don’t go jumping and stomping your faith all over people. People don’t like you being pushy offline. They will not like you pushy online. I am a Christian and I am not afraid to admit that I have had terrible experiences with arrogant Fundamentalist Christians who dominate the Net. If I am turned off, imagine persons who are not Christians.

8. Remember that you are a missioner. The internet offers one important thing for mission – you can “Go Ye into all the world” without leaving your bedroom, kitchen table or home office. Isn’t that wonderful! It certainly reduces the need to physically travel land and sea. Moreover it does not reduce the impact of the Gospel if we set out to teach by living what we preach both on and off the internet. Evangelistic outreach just got better when we truly befriend not bombard.

9. Be respectful of people’s rights and privacy. Usually, (hopefully) by permission you get to enter people’s homes and personal space. They do not slam their doors in your face as they probably would off the web. But don’t abuse that privacy. We do not have any right to SPAM mailboxes, or message boards. If it is illegal for the ‘world’ to SPAM, doing it in the name of Christ does not make it right and sullies the name of Christ.

10. Cultural ignorance is not cool. This is perhaps one of the biggest indictment against the scattered church on the web. The internet allows us access (literally) to a world of information where we can be informed about other cultures. Yet even as there is a great deal of cultural cross-pollination taking place, there is at the same time an appalling level of ignorance and intolerance as well.

Christians want to tell people about what we believe but we are not prepared to understand what others believe. Neither are we prepared to learn about other people’s culture beyond what the popular (often misinformed) news tell us.

I am a Christian and I am offended by the way some Christians make assumptions about me simply because I come from a certain part of the world. Worse, I am sometimes embarrassed and annoyed at some dominant voices who ‘know not and know not that they know not’. There is such glaring ignorance accompanied with a misplaced sense of cultural and religious superiority that is baseless that sometimes saddens me.

Where do you stand in light of these reminders?

Remember you, we, Christian believers all over are not just Christians when we gather in worship. You are representing the church in all your online dealings. Are you satisfied with your representation?

Check to see how many of these items you are already applying to your online presence and I hope we will all continue to make improvements where necessary.

Marvia

Cultivating the Devil’s B(ad) Attitudes appears to be an active pursuit of many of us Christians based on this list.

Walk on the lighter side for a minute and enjoy. I got this from a friend and figured you might like it.

1. Blessed are those who are too tired or busy to spend an hour once a week with fellow Christians — they are my best workers.

2. Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked — I can use them.

3. Blessed are the touchy who stop going to church — they are my missionaries.

4. Blessed are the trouble makers — they shall be called my children.

5. Blessed are the complainers — I’m all ears to them.

6. Blessed are those who are bored with the minister’s mannerisms and mistakes, for they get nothing out of his sermons.

7. Blessed is the church member who expects to be invited to his own church – for he is a part of the problem instead of the solution.

8. Blessed are those who gossip — for they shall cause strife and divisions that please me.

9. Blessed are those who are easily offended — for they will soon get angry and quit.

10. Blessed are those who do not give their offering to carry on God’s work — for they are my helpers.

11. Blessed is he who professes to love God but hates his brother and sister — for he shall be with me forever!

12. Blessed are you who, when you read this think it is about other people and not yourself — I’ve got you, too!

Funny but it does cause us to stop and reflect for a minute doesn’t it? A friend sent it to me and it’s free to pass on. Copy and send on or email using the Share This button below.

Let us pledge to work for God instead.

Marvia

Promoting A Healthy Lifestyle
Providing healthy Sunday morning fellowship refreshment might not win you any points with your congregation. In fact, the attendance might just dwindle. That would of course defeat the purpose of sharing refreshment when the members stay away because the food is ‘too healthy’.

Seriously though, I think they would still be there. However, this is one of those areas that some church leaders fail to help members to make the connection with their spirituality.

Promoting healthy eating practices in your church is consistent with teaching that we are the temple of the living God (2 Cor 6:16b). For us, this means we are to take care of ourselves, and our eating habits are not to be excluded from this consideration.

Linking Healthy Refreshment To Church Ministries
I’m proposing that this is one simple way that the church leadership could show commitment to promoting healthy lifestyle choices to its membership. You will be doing more than just preaching ‘lip service’ to the issue. You will now be making practical application of your message.

The relevance of whole health to the Healing Ministry of the church should not be missed. For it has been proven that what we eat affects our health. The healing ministry of the church is not simply about ‘casting out demons’ it is also about healing the sick. I am not suggesting that one light meal per Sunday will heal all the sick in your congregation. It is the principle of promoting healthy eating habits that will make the difference.

Encourage your Hospitality Ministry to get on board with this. There are always some talented women (and a few men) who should be able to share their culinary skills. This department can assist with providing creative recipes and innovative ways to prepare nutritious meals, that are healthy and yet not boring.

The principle also highlights a third thing. Refreshment could take on a whole new dimension. It could help Christians see that we are using the Arts in Worship. In this case, Culinary Arts. We are helping our members to make connections with all these other areas of their lives and their spirituality.

A Note On Special Dietary Needs
Think about your elderly (and not so elderly) members with high blood pressure and high blood sugar. Consider too your youth and children who are already eating too much junk food. None of these groups need more sweet artificial juices, sugar laden cupcakes or donuts. Do you still wonder why the kids won’t sit still in church? Too much sugar! Ok..it might just be the way too long and not too entertaining sermon. But that’s for another post.

All I’m saying now, is encourage the team responsible for refreshment to take their ministry to another level and see their ministry grow.

Recipes To Get You Inspired
There are many special places online where you can find healthy recipes. Finding stuff for persons with special needs can be tricky. Here is a suggestion to get you started.

Cindalou’s helps with delicious treats for persons who are allergic to dairy, gluten and more.

And feel free to post one in the comments section or send to me and I’ll post for you.
Marvia

Exercising relevant Christian ministry in these rapidly changing times demand far greater and different responses than the church seem able to deliver. Thus debates flourish about the continued relevance of the church.

The 21st century dawned with Christianity boasting a new landscape. It was the dawn of the mega-churches, international ministries and the global dominance of charismatic Christianity. We attend, hear, and or read about them all the time. These churches and ministries are the new standards for judging all other churches. The standardization of ministry aligned with this notion is that if you are doing ministry “right” then your church should naturally explode from small traditional church to cutting-edge charismatic mega church.

Reality tells us a different story. Moreover, the grass always appears greener on the other side.

Church As Servant Community
The church is essentially a servant community. However, it is true that too many congregations have now reached dinosaur status because they were locked up behind their walls, thinking it was still fashionable (was it ever?) to serve themselves. We are not to confuse any such examples of “self-service” with the kind of ministry we are called to exercise as the worshiping community.

We take our cue on service from Jesus. In John 13:1-20, Jesus used the opportunity, through example, to teach his disciples what it means to be a true servant of others. Christ called the church to a life of service. We do not simply exist to cater solely to the (many) needs of our own membership.

In Mark 14:3-9 Jesus commends a woman, whom some call Mary for her sacrificial act of service to him. The conditions of our world today, demands such sacrificial acts of service today. The world is tired of our talk. They need to see us do what we claim to be.

Necessary Impact But Scarce Resources
With increasing ministry needs and our dwindling resources, many of us are grumbling like the disciples. Service is expensive. It is never-ending, and demands more than we have. The scarcity of resources, evident in the following areas, has us lagging behind in relevant ways to respond to a world in need.

Ministers
I am still trying to get used to the word “volunteers.” I shall dedicate a whole discussion to that at some point. However, I am talking about persons willingly offering themselves for service in the Kingdom of God. Fewer members of churches are truly committed to service. The same few are overworked, which limits outreach and of course retards the impact we ought to have on our context.

Pastoral ministry is a chief area of concern. There is a shortage of suitable persons applying for ministry. While more women are answering the call to pastoral ministry, controversy still shrouds our efforts to serve God in this way. While the general shortage is a matter of concern, many have been voicing their disappointment in the lack of leadership qualities in today’s pastoral candidates.

Financial Resources
Poor stewardship is another challenge to the kind of service the church should give. More Christians need to understand what it means to give of all we are and have for the welfare of others and the environment. Everyone loses out from not understanding the power of giving generously back to God through support of the Church’s ministries.

Recovering Lost Ground?

I am not pessimistic about the powerful reach of God. However, I do not believe it is possible to recover lost ground. Many have died who never experienced the love of God through us. That cannot be corrected again in this life.

We can work though, to secure the present and also the future. There are many opportunities around us. We need to face the reality that we have to make changes in the way we do ministry.

A relevant Christian ministry requires a new thinking and a new vision. That is possible in Christ. The Holy Spirit can bring about that transformation in our pulpits, pews and homes and society. We cannot expect to receive new life in ‘old wine skins’. I suspect that is what we are still trying to do.

To be continued.

Marvia